The name of the game is patience. No wait, that was last night's theme. Anyway, Kieran Lovegrove rewarded anyone who has been patient with him Thursday night, tossing five no-hit innings and showing flashes of why he was a highly regarded third round pick in 2012. He was joined by Claudio Bautista, who will also need some patience in the future as he learns to be more selective at the plate. Join Jim Piascik as takes you Around the Farm, breaking down Lovegrove and Bautista's nights in addition to recapping all the action throughout the organization.

The Bowling Green Hot Rods (5-9, 37-46) scored early and often on Thursday night and they held off a late rally by the Lake County Captains (9-5, 36-48). The Hot Rods took the series with a 8-5 win in the rubber game in front of 7,677 fans at Classic Park. The game featured 13 runs, 29 hits and ten extra base hits.

It is often not easy for young players to adjust to pro ball and for some it can take a few seasons before they settle in and really begin to make some progress. For Low-A Lake County righty Mitch Brown, that has been the case as he strugged his first year-plus in the organization but is really starting to settle in now. The IBI's Stephanie Metzger recently caught up with him to talk about his season and also recaps the week that was for the Captains...

It is really hard to be patient for any stretch of time. Like waiting for Christmas as a child -- or even now for Jim Piascik, the wait for the final Hobbit movie -- is unbearable (same for the waits leading up to the first two, for that matter). But it is absolutely vital to be patient to a fault with prospects, especially ones with the talent of Mitch Brown and Carlos Moncrief. Join Jim as he breaks down Brown's turnaround, the recent resurgence of Moncrief, and much more as he takes you Around the Farm.

The Lake County Captains beat the Bowling Green Hot Rods, 4-2, behind seven hits, including three for extra bases. Mitch Brown picked up with win after six solid innings, including seven strikeouts, and Trevor Frank got the save. Clint Frazier blasted a sixth-inning home run while Richard Stock picked up two hits for the Captains.

The Bowling Green Hot Rods kept on adding to their lead as they topped the Lake County Captains, 10-2. The Captains gave up 15 total hits in the game, including 12 off of starter Luis Lugo, who took the loss. James Stokes and Ben Heller pitched a scoreless inning each to end the game on a high note for Lake County.

Baseball bloodlines have become an integral part of the game. The Alomars, the Ripkens, the Molinas. The Niekro knuckleball danced its way through generations. Ken Griffey Jr. once played alongside his father, solidifying one of baseball’s greatest father-son moments. The IBI's Stephanie Metzger talks about Michael Brantley's cousin Justin who is making his way through the Indians minor league system as a pitcher.
Baseball seems to be a genetic trait, and the Brantley family is no different.

Nellie Rodriguez blasted a three-run homerun in the top of the sixth inning, to cap a six run outburst as the Captains went on to beat the Dragons 13-2 on Monday. Rodriguez now has 10 homeruns on the season and 35 RBI. The Captains have won four straight series.

The Dayton Dragons (3-7, 39-39) broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the ninth inning with a sacrifice fly by centerfielder Gabriel Rosa to take Sunday’s game by a score of 3-2 over the Lake County Captains (7-3, 34-46). The last two games of the series have been won in the ninth inning by a sacrifice fly.

The WAR Room is back again, bringing you the 2014 advanced stats for every Cleveland minor leaguer. After looking at the hitters last week, today we focus on the pitchers, including how well Zach McAllister is pitching in Columbus and what it means. Also inside today's edition of The WAR Room is a look at three Akron relievers who are making some real noise, a breakdown of the disconnect between a few Mudcats starters' ERA and FIP, and much more. Join Jim Piascik as he takes you into The WAR Room.

The Lake County Captains (7-2) scored a run in the top of the ninth inning to defeat the Dayton Dragons (2-7) by the final score of 3-2 Saturday evening. The win allowed the Captains to maintain their one-game lead over the Lansing Lugnuts for first place in the Midwest League Eastern Division.

The Lake County Captains (6-2) got a lot of offense and took advantage of great pitching to defeat the Dayton Dragons (2-6) by the final score of 11-2 Friday evening. Similar to many of the previous games on the current road trip, the Captains managed to score first in this contest.

In today’s edition of Minor Happenings, the IBI's Tony Lastoria takes a look at the resurgence of High-A Carolina outfielder Luis Rodriguez and what has helped him turn his season around. He also talks about Double-A Akron right-handed pitcher Joseph Colon’s improvements and rise in ranks, provides lots of quotes from Low-A Lake County pitching coach Rigo Beltran on several of his pitchers, plus provides insight and news on players such as Francisco Lindor, Yandy Diaz, Ben Heller and more.

It is easy to get caught up in recent events and become prisoners of the moment. Really, it just seems like human nature to overvalue the most recent thing to happen. Each year, it happens to a certain number of players: those with hot Aprils seem to have figured something out and those with cold ones seem to have taken a step back. By and large, however, these early season performances go back to normal, which is exactly what is happening with Ronny Rodriguez. Join Jim Piascik as he breaks down Rodriguez's season, Bobby Bradley's debut to date, and much more as he takes you Around the Farm.

The Lake County Captains posted a three-run third, but couldn't score before or after on their way to a 9-3 loss against Bowling Green. BG posted its nine runs on 11 hits, including a five-run sixth inning. Luis Lugo took the loss for Lake County while Nellie Rodriguez paced the Captains' offense with all three RBIs.

Earlier this week we posted the seven Indians prospects who have improved their stock the most, but just like there are two sides to every coin and a yin to a yang, that means there have been some prospects who have hurt their prospect value this season. The IBI's Tony Lastoria looks at those seven players who have struggled and uses insight and information gained from Indians personnel, scouts and his own observations to explain their struggles and what they need to do to get back on track.

The Lake County Captains (32-44) crafted a successful week, giving them a solid start to the season’s second half. Posting a 5-1 record, the team holds the best second-half record in the Midwest League and seems to have found some new life after an underwhelming first half. The IBI's Stephanie Metzger recaps the week that was for the Captains...

One bounce of the ball can be all it takes to change everything. Top prospect Francisco Lindor experienced this firsthand Wednesday as a routine double play grounder took a bad hop, bouncing up and hitting him in the face. Lindor seems to have avoided being struck in the eye, a potentially positive development, though he is still getting checked out. Join Jim Piascik as takes you Around the Farm, reporting from Canal Park and bringing you the rest of the action on a busy night in the system.

After Tuesday's game was postponed, the Lake County Captains took on Bowling Green in a doubleheader Wednesday, and came away with a pair of 7-2 victories. In game one the Captains totaled 10 hits, but in game two they managed their seven runs on just six hits. Dace Kime and Justin Brantley were credited with the wins as Lake County totaled seven home runs on the day.

As we are at the unofficial halfway point of the minor league season with the Single-A second half underway, short season ball having started and the Double-A and Triple-A All Star games looming, now is a good time to focus in on the Indians prospects who have really improved their stock to the industry not just with their performance but more importantly their development this season. The IBI's Tony Lastoria has talked to lots of Indians personnel and scouts from other teams and in those conversations came up with seven players who have really jumped up in value this season.

Available IBI Books

The 2014 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!